'Fresh Prince' star sues maker of video games over his dance

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star Alfonso Ribeiro is suing the creators of Fortnite and NBA 2K for using his famous dance on the popular video games. In separate lawsuits filed Monday in federal court, Ribeiro alleges that Fortnite-maker Epic Games and 2K Sports-creator Take-Two Interactive used his dance dubbed "The Carlton Dance" without permission or credit.

Alfonso Ribeiro arrives at the Disney/ABC 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. Ribeiro is suing creators of Fortnite and NBA 2K for using his famous dance as Carlton from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" on the popular video games. In separate lawsuits filed Monday in federal court in Los Angeles, Ribeiro alleges that Fortnite-maker Epic Games and 2K Sports-creator Take-Two Interactive used his dance dubbed “The Carlton Dance” without permission or giving him credit. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

December 18, 2018

Ribeiro's dance was popularized through his character, Carlton Banks, on the 1990s sitcom. Ribeiro says North Carolina-based Epic Games and Delaware-based Take Two used his dance he first performed on a 1991 "Fresh Prince" episode. He's asking for a judge's order to stop both games from using his moves.

Ribeiro says he is currently in the middle of copyrighting the dance. Epic Games and Take Two spokesmen didn't respond to requests for comment.

In order to enable essential services and functionality on our site and to collect data on how visitors interact with our site, products and services we use tools such as cookies. By using our website, you agree to our use of these tools for advertising and analytics. More Info